


This Gravity

by PlaidCladHobbit



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, M/M, im sorry, like its all angst, long distance communication, pretty much minor!everyone but Qrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:42:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlaidCladHobbit/pseuds/PlaidCladHobbit
Summary: Qrow is hurting and just wants to talk to his husband. Thankfully long-distance communication is a thing.Nothing graphic. The death happens before story starts.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	This Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> V7 hurt. So I tried to fix my emotions a little. I make no claims to actually doing so.

Qrow pushed through the door to his bedroom, thumb already tapping the familiar shamrock icon on his home screen and holding the phone to his ear while kicking the door shut behind him.

It went straight to voice mail, just like he'd expected it would. "You've reached Clover Ebi, I can't take your call right now but if this is about work please press 1 to be redirected to my office and they'll contact me, thank you." His tone then softened significantly "if it's you Qrow, remember I love you and please try not to punch anyone till I get back." He often travelled with his job and rarely had cell service in the field but Qrow had a habit of calling to vent to his inbox. He always called back when he got them though. Always. *Beep*

"Hey I know you're busy, it's fine I just wanted to talk." He collapsed on the chair, loosening the constrictive tie with a thousand pound sigh. "Just got back from the funeral. God Clover it was like a bad movie. Hit all the stereotypes, overcast grey skies, raining just enough to be a nuisance but not enough to warrant an umbrella so you just stand there gradually getting soaked to the bone and then once you realise it's too late anyway so you continue to just take it. And the girls ..." his heart throbbed painfully just thinking about his nieces.

They'd clung to him on either side the entire ceremony, distraught while he'd attempted to comfort them with his rather uncomforting presence. "It was so much worse than when their mother died. They'd been so young then, hadn't known what death really meant, how" his throat clawed at the word, trying to keep it from escaping "permanent." He was quiet for a few moments trying to bring his breathing back to normal levels.

"It was horrible. I really wish you could've been there. They're passed out downstairs. Didn’t want to go back to Tai's, I can't really blame them. Yang's probably drooling on your decorative cushions. Sorry about that. I'll buy you more." He was suddenly exhausted and just wanted to crawl into his husband's arms and sleep for three years or until it didn’t hurt as much. Whichever came last. He signed off as he did every time with, "call me when you get this. I love you, come home soon."

He dropped the phone where it landed with a dull thud on the stupid green carpet Clover insisted on lining their room with. Inhaling deeply caused instant comfort as the familiar scent invaded his lungs. Clover hadn't been gone long this time, only a few days, so he was still very present in the room.

Even when he wasn't.

He crawled onto the bed. Not bothering with blankets, curled up in the centre and wished for a lot of things.

But mainly just for his family back. He didn’t cry, though he tried.

Surprisingly, when he awoke a few hours later, they hadn't come true.

His nieces were still downstairs, having lost a much of what little family they had left. Their mother Summer was still long dead, their father Tai wasn't back. He was still wearing that god awful suit.

And Clover was still gone.

But the sun was shining, so there was that at least. Blinding him through the window. Much too cheery for the hour.

It was still early enough.

Qrow hit the laptop key and Clover’s smiling face filled the screen.

_"Hey, Qrowbar."_

"That's a stupid nickname," he said, just like the first time he'd heard it.

_"Dig any holes lately?"_

"That's not what crowbars do.” He could feel his brain slowing down. Hypnotised by the familiar blue eyes and almost arrogant confidence.

 _"Yeah well I ain't a plumber."_ Clover chuckled at his own terrible joke. _"What are you up to today?"_

"Well, I have two grieving teenagers downstairs so I'm thinking not a lot. How about you?"

_"You really do live on the edge, my love."_

"I miss you already. Come home soon."

They continued for a while longer before Qrow had to face the day. Sometimes it was nice to just hear him talk even if he knew what Clover was going to say.

Entering the kitchen was a shock.

It was like strolling straight into a wall of maple syrup. It was overpowering, and almost completely masked the smell of burning.

His nieces looked up from their plates. Mouths full and ringed with sugar, eyes sad and ringed with redness.

Ruby swallowed what must've been an entire pancake. Painfully gasping as it got stuck and downing most of her glass to help it along. Breathing heavily once she could again. Tai would've been so proud.

Yang said, "Morning, Qrow. There's a plate for you in the oven."

Qrow leaned down and kissed both of them on the head as he passed. "Thanks, firecracker. Morning, kiddo."

Ruby waved. Reassuringly her were eyes brimming with tears of physical discomfort rather than emotional. For now at least. Grief's a wave after all.

Qrow dug into his breakfast and was so impressed. Yang had somehow managed to burn every single thing on the plate. Pancakes, eggs, even the damn toast and he'd had the toaster set to the perfect settings yesterday. They'd covered it in enough sugar and butter to kill a medium to large dog.

"It's perfect. Thank you." And he meant it.

* * *

"....I love you, please try not to punch anyone till I get back." *beep*

"The girls made me breakfast. It was a disaster. Different to how you would've screwed it up, but still eerily familiar. Call me back and I'll tell you all about it. I love you, come home soon."

* * *

Ruby washed up the vast number of dirty dishes Yang had created as Qrow sat at the table sipping burnt coffee. Like, how?

She reached for the mug sat by the sink.

Throwing an arm up and falling two metres short, Qrow called out, "Not that one."

Fingers curled into a fist before they'd even made contact. "Right, Uncle Clover's cup. Sorry."

"S'okay kiddo, we've got a deal is all."

Clover had left his damn cup sitting by the sink one too many times and Qrow refused to wash it, it had become a thing. Clover had then taken to leaving it out whenever he went away. An unspoken promise that he'd return to deal with it eventually.

* * *

He’d been gone for a while by the time the laptop called out in the washroom. Not the longest ever, but still a significant time and Qrow’s muscles lived in a constant state of tension.

 _"Hey, Qrowbar. Dig any holes lately?"_ He didn’t need to turn to know the teasing smirk directed at him.

Qrow relented and said his line, “Not what they're for.”

_"Yeah well I ain't a plumber.”_

“Nope. Plumbers are useful.” Qrow was feeling extra snarky.

_Clover laughed. “What are you up to today?"_

“About twelve loads of laundry, darling.” He emptied the basket of whites. “You left shit everywhere.”

_"You really do live on the edge, my love."_

“Just for that I’m not separating any of it.” Despite hitting start on the already separated clothes. “Enjoy.”

_"I love it when you're petty. I'll be back soon."_

Qrow braced himself on the bench and said, “You said that last time.” Ending the connection with Clover mid-sentence. Not even registering Qrow’s words.

* * *

Two weeks later the three of them were sprawled out together on the living room couch, some generic action movie playing that they were staring at but not really watching. Qrow wasn't even pretending.

Instead, staring at the last family photo the five of them took together.

It was only a few months ago. Tai held one of his oddly themed parties. That one was in celebration of zip-off pants which they were all required to wear. Qrow ended up cutting the legs off a pair of black jeans and then messily stapled them back together. It matched his usual gothic look. He wasn’t going to spend actual money on something so ridiculous.

Even for Tai.

He loved the man, his brother, the one he'd dragged through losing his wife. And helped raise his daughters. But no.

Qrow had limits.

Tai and the girls wore his own pre-party-owned pants, because yes, he wore zip-off trousers regularly enough that he'd owned multiple pairs.

Clover had sourced his own specially. They were a violent purple. A colour Qrow hadn't known existed and wished to never encounter again. He'd burnt the pants that very night.

A sharp pain somewhere in his spleen accompanied the thought.

Ruby spoke up for the first time in hours, leaning against his shoulder, peering at the frame in his hand. "Do you know where he is?" Her voice barely penetrated the silence. When had the movie stopped?

"Yeah, we talked last night. Currently stalking chimps in the arctic or whatever." Qrow snorted, the thrilling life of a wildlife photographer, huh. "He can't get out of it right now but says he'll be home in a few weeks."

* * *

“I miss you so much I can't breathe.”

_"Yeah well I ain't a plumber. What are you up to today?"_

Jaw clenched painfully. “...right.”

_"You really do live on the edge, my love."_

“I wish you'd say something else. Just one word that I didn’t know by heart.”

_"I love it when you're petty. I'll be back soon."_

“Liar,” he whispered.

* * *

The cup still sat by the sink waiting to be cleaned. They'd found it when they were first dating. Wandering around garage sales on a lazy morning together. They'd each had three dollars to spend. No more. And the task of finding something for the other. It was at maybe the third house they went to that day when Qrow spotted it. Cream base with intricate maroon filigree patterning covering it. It was beautiful, Qrow loved it. It wasn’t really Clover's style but he'd treasured far more than the $2.60 tag warranted. Rarely using anything else.

The sight of it sitting there, unwashed, filled him with a sudden all-consuming burning rage.

He picked it up and hurled it across the room. It shattered.

Leaving a faint coffee residue stain on the wall and a broken heart at Qrow's feet.

They didn’t keep alcohol in the house. Qrow was 8 years sober but god he'd never needed a drink more.

But Tai did.

So he went there.

Sat on the floor of a different kitchen, clutching an unopened bottle of something in one hand and a shard of Clover in the other.

"He wouldn't want this." Tai said moving from the doorway to sit beside him.

Qrow bristled and spat, "Nope. But he's not fucking here is he. And he's not ever going to be so why the fuck should I care what he'd think."

"Qrow." And his voice was so fucking understanding. Like he knew what Qrow was going through.

And he did. He'd gone through this exact same thing with Summer all those years ago.

Qrow looked up into blue eyes that were just the wrong shade.

And the tears finally fell.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
